Chorh-Gom Prison
Chorh-Gom Prison (sometimes spelled "Chor-Ghom", "Chor-Gom", or "Chorh-Ghom") is an elaborate stronghold located in the snowy peaks of Tavan Bogd in Mongolia. It was originally built to hold a single prisoner — the mighty snow leopard Tai Lung, who had been charged with a lifetime incarceration sentence for his ruthless crimes against the citizens of the Valley of Peace. The prison had temporarily been closed down after Tai Lung escaped and destroyed the prison, but it has since been rebuilt and re-opened as a regular prison able to house many inmates. The prison presumably continues to be heavily guarded by the Anvil of Heaven, a one thousand-strong army of elite rhinos. Their previous leader and warden of the prison was Commander Vachir, who hasn't been seen or mentioned since Tai Lung's escape. History Beginnings peaks]] Chorh-Gom Prison was carved out of the most inaccessible peak of the snow-blasted Tavan Bogd Mountains in outer Mongolia twenty years prior to the events of Kung Fu Panda. Its sole purpose was to hold Tai Lung to prevent him from threatening the innocent again. It had been designed as the most formidable ever built, complete with elaborate and deadly defenses and self-destruct mechanisms in case the unthinkable should happen — Tai Lung escapes.Kung Fu Panda Official Site - Chorh-Gom Prison (old version; retrieved August 3rd, 2010) In Kung Fu Panda speaking with Zeng]] After Master Oogway had a premonition of Tai Lung's return to the Valley, Master Shifu sent the palace messenger Zeng to warn the guards at the prison and to tighten its security. The warden Commander Vachir was outraged, protesting that escape from Chorh-Gom was impossible. He showed the messenger goose around the fortress, presenting the prison's current securities as well as the bound and motionless prisoner himself, Tai Lung. Believing the leopard to be helpless, Commander Vachir did nothing to strengthen the defenses of the prison as he was told. But while Zeng and Vachir were returning to the prison's entrance, one of Zeng's feathers (which had fallen off of him earlier) floated next to Tai Lung, who then used it to pick the lock on his restraints (using his tail) and break free. Despite all of the guards' efforts and the various defenses the prison held, Tai Lung managed to craftily dodge and fight his way through each of them, eventually making his way to the entrance and literally blasting his way through the guards and door. The leopard then told Zeng to fly back to the Jade Palace and give a message saying: "The real Dragon Warrior is coming home." In Kung Fu Panda #1 Some time after Tai Lung's escape, Chorh-Gom Prison was rebuilt with a variety of new traps. Po and the Furious Five volunteered to test the prison's new security system, and were given a tour by the new warden, who appeared to be just as overconfident as his predecessor. However, when two careless prison guards accidentally set off the new security system, trapping its residents inside, the warden panicked and knocked himself out by running at the main door. Po and the Five were forced to evade and fend off the various deadly traps, such as the bashing beam and the slaying slicers. With the help of the two prison guards, the six were able to use the logs of lamentation to climb up to a higher level, carrying the stunned warden with them. After fending off one last trap (a multitude of arrows), Po and the Five were eventually rescued when the two guards let down a rope ladder for them to climb up. Po and the Five stated that it took all six of them to break out, meaning that the prison was indeed very well built. In Legends of Awesomeness going undercover as a new prisoner in "Jailhouse Panda"]] In the episode "Jailhouse Panda", Po went undercover as a wanted criminal to locate and talk to a prisoner named Tong Fo, who had craftily hid away the sacred War Hammer of Lei Lang before his incarceration. Notable Prisoners * Tai Lung — Tai Lung is the most famous prisoner of Chorh-Gom, as he was the reason the prison was constructed to begin with. After he turned to evil and was subdued, the prison was constructed to hold the for the rest of his life. Twenty years after he was incarcerated, he escaped when Zeng came and one of his feathers fell into Tai Lung's grasp, and he used it to pick the lock on his restraints. He was the first prisoner of Chorh-Gom and the first to escape Chorh-Gom. * Taotie — Coming soon! * Tong Fo — Coming soon! * Fung and his bandits — Coming soon! * Fenghuang — Once the strongest of the Furious Five of her generation, Fenghuang turned to evil when her power and skill went to her head and she challenged, but lost to Master Oogway, though she managed to escape. After hearing of Oogway's passing, she returned for a second attempt of takeover, but was stopped by Po, who had her sent to Chorh-Gom, though she swore to escape and come back for revenge. * Junjie and his followers — Junjie trained with Master Shifu under Oogway, but was passed over as master of the Jade Palace. He manipulated an evaluation of Shifu's worthiness to replace him, but was found out, thwarted, and he and his followers were sent to Chorh-Gom. However, he and his followers returned, supposedly having escaped. * Hundun — Hundun was a member of the Anvil of Heaven, who were tasked with keeping Tai Lung in prison. When Tai Lung escaped, Hundun was among those who tried in vain to stop him, but failed. Tai Lung was defeated by the Dragon Warrior, but without its prisoner, the prison was closed, depriving Hundun of his job, and losing his house, his family, and he blamed all his troubles on the Dragon Warrior. When he found out it was Po who "ruined his life", he tried to kill him, but he was thwarted and sent to the very prison he'd devoted himself to. Design and Architecture Coming soon! Trivia *According to the filmmakers' commentary on the Kung Fu Panda DVD, "Chorh-Gom" translated from Mongolian into English means "sitting in prison" or "in prison". *There were a number of inspirations for the design of the prison, including sets from , prison designs from the 1700s, as well as the idea of applying the linear layout of the to the interior prison walls.Miller-Zarneke, Tracey. The Art of Kung Fu Panda, p. 178. : *The prison is noted to be over 3,000 feet deep.Kung Fu Panda Fun Facts by HP *1,500 arrows shower down on Tai Lung during his escape in the first movie. Gallery EarlyChorhGom.PNG|Early conceptual artwork of the prison Rhino-guard-room-art.png|Concept illustration of rhino guard room by Tang Kheng Heng PrisonCor1.PNG|Prison entrance corridor PrisonCor2.PNG|Overhead chamber in prison PrisonCor3.PNG|The many bridges in the prison Vachir&Anvil1.PNG|Vachir and the Anvil of Heaven guarding the front gate of the prison References Category:Locations Category:Film Locations Category:Jails Category:TV Series Locations